Abre Mis Ojos

This past week, our team separated into two parts: one that went to Rivas on the mainland and one that went to the other part of the island. My team went to Rivas where we were completely blessed to stay with Sarai, a local pastor that has strong connections with CICRIN.

Our ministry out there was very relational and meeting people where they are. We got to be part of existing ministries and connect with Sarai’s church. The services were held outside of a house with lots of happy horses, happy dogs, a puppy for each one of our team, and pigs that “caught the spirit” in the middle of the service and would run through the chairs and in circles up, down, and around.

One of the most impactful moments for me was going out and praying in the community. It was a fairly long walk to church through dirt roads and lots of livestock with multiple families that we hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to yet.

We ended up going into some of these homes handing out packets of rice and soy. (I don’t know if you have ever been part of making these bags, or “Manna Packs,” but Wofford does it as an annual service project for incoming students so it was really neat to see the other side of it.) As we passed them out, the families invited us in and we got to pray for the family. They usually asked for prayers for their health, their families, and healing of ailments.

I think this was probably the most uncomfortable part for me because I felt like I was intruding on their lives and I didn’t want to be a burden when they didn’t even know who I was. However, what I soon saw was how God used that for His kingdom purpose.

I was the translator for our group, so for each family I was forced into the position of talking to the family first and asking them if we could pray for them.  Sometimes you need that extra push, because what I saw was not what I anticipated.

There was one woman we prayed for that would not give any specific prayer requests. She said that everything was fine where she was. So we began to pray for her “Nicaraguan style” (which was our entire group praying out loud at one time) and by the time we were finished, the woman was in tears. This was not the only home where that happened.

Towards the end of our ministry time, we stopped at a house that had the “too cool” teenage guy who looked like bad news sitting outside. We asked him if the lady of the house was home and he snarkily pointed inside. As we entered the dark house, we saw that it had dirt floors, no walls, and a black sheet hanging up to make a bedroom in the corner. The door to the backside was dark and smoky as the women cooked and burned trash. The lady of the house appeared to be busy but gave us the opportunity to pray for her and her mother who had just come from out back, shoeless, and with an incredible disease on her discolored feet going up her legs.

We began to pray for them as we had for other families, but in the middle of our prayer one of the men came in, and he did not come in quietly. Yelling at the woman and making a scene…completely angry and completely drunk. The crazy thing was, though, that none of us stopped praying. It didn't occur to me that he was yelling, it just made me want to pray louder, stronger, and more powerful. What I didn't see then that I see now is that I was seeing with the eyes of my heart and not of my flesh. He strengthened me to believe in Him and His healing powers in a potentially dangerous situation…but am I living that? Am I walking with Him every step of my day?

When we finished praying, you could see the hurt brought out on the faces of these women. You could see them raw with their thoughts and aware that we now knew some of their abusive reality.

I can’t get those women out of my mind. I can’t stop thinking about how they are not the only family suffering from this; it was just the family that we actually got to see. I can’t stop thinking about how something needs to be done to eradicate this problem from this community, and the men in that house are in desperate need of a heart change.

Please keep this family in your prayers with me and that the community will surround them with love and God will do something radical. He has already begun, and how much more can we be the hands and feet of Christ but by believing the Spirit can heal.

I don’t think it was an accident God put us there doing what we were doing at that exact moment in time. I believe that heaven is invading earth. Open your eyes. Live a prayer.

This past week, our team separated into two parts: one that went to Rivas on the mainland and one that went to the other part of the island. My team went to Rivas where we were completely blessed to stay with Sarai, a local pastor that has strong connections with CICRIN.

Our ministry out there was very relational and meeting people where they are. We got to be part of existing ministries and connect with Sarai’s church. The services were held outside of a house with lots of happy horses, happy dogs, a puppy for each one of our team, and pigs that “caught the spirit” in the middle of the service and would run through the chairs and in circles up, down, and around.

PICTURE

One of the most impactful moments for me was going out and praying in the community. It was a fairly long walk to church through dirt roads and lots of livestock with multiple families that we hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to yet.

We ended up going into some of these homes handing out packets of rice and soy. (I don’t know if you have ever been part of making these bags, or “Manna Packs,” but Wofford does it as an annual service project for incoming students so it was really neat to see the other side of it.) As we passed them out, the families invited us in and we got to pray for the family. They usually asked for prayers for their health, their families, and healing of ailments.

I think this was probably the most uncomfortable part for me because I felt like I was intruding on their lives and I didn’t want to be a burden when they didn’t even know who I was. However, what I soon saw was how God used that for His kingdom purpose.

I was the translator for our group, so for each family I was forced into the position of talking to the family first and asking them if we could pray for them.  Sometimes you need that extra push, because what I saw was not what I anticipated.

There was one woman we prayed for that would not give any specific prayer requests. She said that everything was fine where she was. So we began to pray for her “Nicaraguan style” (which was our entire group praying out loud at one time) and by the time we were finished, the woman was in tears. This was not the only home where that happened.

Towards the end of our ministry time, we stopped at a house that had the “too cool” teenage guy who looked like bad news sitting outside. We asked him if the lady of the house was home and he snarkily pointed inside. As we entered the dark house, we saw that it had dirt floors, no walls, and a black sheet hanging up to make a bedroom in the corner. The door to the backside was dark and smoky as the women cooked and burned trash. The lady of the house appeared to be busy but gave us the opportunity to pray for her and her mother who had just come from out back, shoeless, and with an incredible disease on her discolored feet going up her legs.

We began to pray for them as we had for other families, but in the middle of our prayer one of the men came in, and he did not come in quietly. Yelling at the woman and making a scene…completely angry and completely drunk. The crazy thing was, though, that none of us stopped praying. There was this power inside of us that continued and grew stronger through the yells and choice language.

When we finished praying, you could see the hurt brought out on the faces of these women. You could see them raw with their thoughts and aware that we now knew some of their abusive reality.

I can’t get those women out of my mind. I can’t stop thinking about how they are not the only family suffering from this; it was just the family that we actually got to see. I can’t stop thinking about how something needs to be done to eradicate this problem from this community, and the men in that house are in desperate need of a heart change.

Please keep this family in your prayers with me and that the community will surround them with love and God will do something radical. He has already begun, and how much more can we be the hands and feet of Christ but by believing the Spirit can heal.

I don’t think it was an accident God put us there doing what we were doing at that exact moment in time. I believe that heaven is invading earth. Open your eyes. Live a prayer.